Treasure State Education Coverage, Driven by Data
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Enrollment of students who are English learners grew 51.6% in eight years even as Montana lost students overall, with nearly half speaking Native American languages.
Whitefish High School added 175 students since 2018, a 36% surge, while every elementary district in the Flathead Valley lost enrollment over the same period.
Colstrip's combined school enrollment fell 19.8% since 2018, tracking the closure of two coal-fired generating units and the uncertain future of two more.
Livingston Elem enrollment fell from 1,000 to 716 since 2018, the third-fastest decline among Montana districts with 200+ students, even as Park County's tourism economy booms.
Hispanic enrollment rose 44.8% since 2018 while every other racial group declined. Growth spans the state but may be slowing.
Bozeman's high school district has added 687 students over eight consecutive years of growth, the longest streak in Montana, even as every other major city's elementary enrollment hits record lows.
Nearly one in three Montana districts are at their lowest enrollment ever recorded, including every major city's elementary system.
Native American enrollment fell 12.3% since 2018, nearly double the 6.4% white decline. Reservation districts lost 1,391 students across seven tribal nations.
After a decade of growth, Montana's public school enrollment has fallen for three straight years to a 9-year low, erasing the gains of the growth era and costing districts millions.
OPI releases 2025-26 enrollment data showing 142,071 students statewide — down 8,502 from peak, the lowest in nine years of records.